Zacharias’ Completion

If you would, though, please
take your Bibles and turn back to the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter
one. We’ve been there for three weeks
already, and we’ll enjoy another message from the Gospel of Luke
chapter one this morning. We’ve enjoyed this familiar passage
of scripture, this Luke one and two. in previous years, and we
certainly have considered them over the course of our own lives
personally. But I personally come away with
a new and deeper appreciation of this chapter, and I trust
that you have as well. It’s instructive to me, it’s
a blessing that God saw fit to include these particular narratives
because they not only provide the answer as to how Jesus could
be both fully God and fully man, but they also provide us many
other extraordinary lessons and insights in the events that unfold
around the births of both Jesus and John. The remarkable episode
that took place in the holy place, remember, with Zacharias, where
this priest has a face-to-face conversation with an angel, Gabriel,
and the announcement is that he and his wife, Elizabeth, are
being granted, after long last, a special child who will serve
as the herald of the Messiah. But that meant even bigger news
that a Savior was coming. But before Zacharias can even
process this news, the news of a coming Savior, doubt enters
into his mind. It bubbles to the surface and
eventually bursts forth. He challenges the angel’s words
and suffers the consequences. The conversation ends so dramatically
and so abruptly because of Zacharias’ doubt that we find ourselves
wanting to race ahead and read ahead to find out how Zacharias
manages such a stern punishment that he brought on himself the
complete inability to speak. We’ll see how things turn out
for Zacharias here momentarily, but it’s against this backdrop
that we’re introduced to yet another couple, Mary, and her
soon-to-be husband, Joseph, to whom Luke does not even formally
introduce us until chapter two. Gabriel has another surprise
visit with young Mary to inform her of this news that she a simple
godly humble country girl Will be the one to bear the promised
Savior Not just the Savior of the Jews Or even the Savior of
the whole world, but Mary’s Savior, too so this couple promised a
baby, one conceived miraculously the Christ child. And that places
Mary not in the abusive mischaracterization of a goddess, but as she describes
herself, a humble servant, a willing slave to God’s glorious plans. She said it this way, be it done
to me according to your word. She’s an example to us in her
great faith. And that faith carries her as
we saw last week to a joyful reunion with her relative, Elizabeth. We don’t know the exact relationship. In Luke’s account, we’re brought
into a very special meeting between these two. and their joyous reaction,
Elizabeth and Mary immediately begin to rejoice before one another
and before God at the wonderful news and their privileged part
in it. We looked at both women’s response
last Lord’s Day, but we spent most of our time observing Elizabeth’s
reaction, and we saw that it was one of an impromptu time
of praise. Luke said that just as soon as Elizabeth
heard Mary’s greeting, perhaps even at her front door, that
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she cried out
with a loud voice, a cry of praise. Blessed is the fruit of your
womb, Mary, a cry of humility. How has it happened? that the
mother of my Lord should come to me. A cry of praise, a cry
of humility, and a cry of affirmation, blessing Mary for her faith. As we closed with a review of
Mary’s own example of worship, her celebrated prayer recorded
there in 46 through 56, we realized that it still remains to learn
what happened with our friend Zacharias. How is he handling
this news of a son? How is he handling this news
of a coming Messiah? Not to mention his inability
to speak. This is the subject matter to
which Luke transitions beginning in verse 57. If we could, let’s
take it in full. Now, the time had come for Elizabeth
to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her
relatives heard that the Lord had displayed his great mercy
toward her, and they were rejoicing with her. And it happened that
on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and
they were going to call him Zacharias after his father. But his mother
answered and said, no, indeed, but his name shall be called
John. And they said to her, there is
no one among your relatives who is called by that name. And they
made signs to his father as to what he wanted him called. And
he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, his name is John. And they were all astonished.
And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he
began to speak in praise of God. Fear came upon all those living
around them. And all these matters were being
talked about in all the hill country of Judea. And all who
heard them kept kept them in mind, saying, What then will
this child turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord was
certainly with him. And his father, Zacharias, was
filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, blessed be
the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited us and has accomplished
redemption for his people and has raised up a horn of salvation
for us in the house of David, his servant, as he spoke by the
mouth of his holy prophets from of old. salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us. To show mercy toward
our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which
he swore to Abraham, our father, to grant that we being rescued
from the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear.
In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And
you, child, will be called the prophet of the most high, for
you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give
his people the knowledge of salvation. By the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God. With which the sunrise
from on high will visit us to shine upon those who sit in darkness
and the shadow of death. to guide our feet into the way
of peace. And the child continued to grow
and to become strong in spirit. And he lived in the deserts until
the day of his public appearance to Israel. I titled the message
this morning, Zachariah’s Completion. for three reasons. First, because
this narrative would have been strangely incomplete if Luke
did not tell us what became of him. It would remind me almost
of the end of Jonah’s account, where we’re left just wondering
what happens to Jonah. Earlier, In chapter one, the
narrative leaves off with Zacharias heading home, unable to speak,
but with these amazing promises in his heart from the Lord. And
by the Spirit’s direction, Luke fully obliges our curiosity here
and completes the account. It’s also a completion in another
sense. It’s a completion in the sense
that we see God’s work in Zacharias’ life. We see it in real time. No longer doubting, no longer
skeptical of the angel’s words or of God’s promises and plans,
but now a mature man, a man of faith, complete in that sense. And thirdly, I would call this
a message of Zacharias’s completion, because his ministry, his life,
at least as far as we know it, it comes to a complete end in
verse 79 of this chapter. He’s mentioned only once more
in all of the New Testament, merely a reference to him as
John’s father, nothing more. This is Zacharias’s completion. In the final section of this
very dynamic chapter, there’s a lot going on. We essentially
have four scenes, almost like a play. The first scene in verses
57 and 58, I would call that Zacharias’ notable absence. His notable absence. He’s nowhere
to be found. We’ll look at that in a moment.
Then we see in verses 59 through 66, Zacharias’ speech is restored,
and boy is it ever. And then in verses 67 through
75, Zacharias lets loose a praise, a prophecy about his Messiah. And then the fourth scene, Zacharias
blesses his own son in verses 76 through 79. We’ll consider
each of those sections very briefly, and then we’ll zero in this morning
on the third scene. Zacharias’ praise for the Messiah. Look at the first scene though,
in verse 57 and 58. The first scene is Zacharias’
notable absence. And if you’re a father and you
weren’t there or you weren’t there as much as you should have
been, you will know the trouble that Zacharias could find himself
in. If he was on the golf course
or off and away when his wife went into labor, Zacharias could
find himself in a little bit of hot water here. In the opening
scene here, Zacharias is conspicuously absent. This was a major event,
not just for his own family, not just for his wife, Elizabeth,
bearing at old age after nine long months, but it was also
for the Jewish nation and even the world, the birth of John
the Baptist. And yet, inexplicably and by
Luke, without any explanation, Zacharias is nowhere to be found. There’s only the minimal commentary
here by Luke, that Elizabeth’s time to give birth had come,
and that she gave birth to a son. Luke’s additional detail in verse
58 is somewhat mysterious. that her neighbors and relatives
heard that the Lord had displayed great mercy toward her. Luke
doesn’t tell us specifically what the Lord’s great mercy toward
her was, not exactly. Perhaps it was an easy birth.
In her advanced age, perhaps just a short, simple, quick and
easy birth. Perhaps it was just another acknowledgement
that the Lord had blessed her with a child after long last. It’s true that Elizabeth had
sequestered herself for five long months and that the neighbors
were now actually hearing of a real child being born. But all things considered, I
think the first explanation is much more likely. that in her
advanced age she had a relatively easy labor and delivery. It isn’t
until verse 59 that Zacharias’ name is even mentioned. This
is the beginning of that second scene, as I called it, during
which Zacharias’ speech is restored miraculously. Back in verse 20,
during Zacharias’ providential meeting, with the angel Gabriel,
that Gabriel laid out to him explicitly how long this punishment
was to last. You shall be silent and unable
to speak until the day when these things take place. We acknowledge
then that when Gabriel referred to these things, that it was
somewhat vague. What things? But we had the luxury then of
being able to look forward to the account of John’s birth and
pinpoint the precise moment when Zacharias’ speech was restored. It wasn’t just his birth, but
it was the naming of the child that must take place before Zacharias
would again be allowed to speak. And it was That was what transpires
in this particular scene. Look, if you would, at verse
59. The pronouns here are going to require some clarification.
It just says on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child. To whom does they refer? Could
have been some of the neighbors, the relatives. Mentioned in verse
58, this would be a big deal. the circumcision of a child,
not unlike our baptism celebrations. It was a big celebration and
often complete with a feast. But they could also have included
someone, perhaps a rabbi, who is specifically designated for
such a delicate task. Either way, they also presume
to name the child, In Genesis 17, the circumcision of Isaac,
we’re told that God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, remember? And Sarai’s name to Sarah. And though there’s no specific
command, the Jews assigned the naming of the child to accompany
his circumcision. And it was almost axiomatic that
a child, a son, would be named after his father, especially
the firstborn. Well, Elizabeth intervenes with
this plan, as we saw, and ultimately Zacharias is consulted, even
given his inability to speak. So he jots down the boy’s name. His name is John. God gave him his name already. And no sooner does Zacharias
do this. That is ability to speak is restored. This was the final thing. To
be fulfilled before Zacharias could again speak. And though
we don’t have his words precisely, Luke does say in verse 64 that
his first words were words of praise. Praise God. so very appropriate. And this
only leads to a further surprise, not only by the attending of
friends and relatives, but everyone in the region was astounded at
what had taken place. And it’s here in this third scene,
verses 67 through 75, that Luke does begin to provide the exact
words of Zacharias and his utterance. These words of praise are for,
get this, not his own son, but Mary’s son, Jesus, the Messiah. We’ll come back to these words
momentarily. Look at the fourth scene, if you would, in verse
76 and the final scene. We have, in a sense, a continuance
of Zacharias’ words of praise, but these words are words of
blessing upon his own son, John. Zacharias knows and now believes
absolutely that his son has been designated by God as the Messiah’s
forerunner, just as the angel originally tried to tell him.
He believes now. His son, Luke records of him
declaring in verse 76, will be called the prophet of the Most
High. Using that special name for God
used so frequently throughout the Old Testament, but more recently
by the angel in his declaration to Mary. He’s the Most High God,
and John will be in his service. God himself has named John as
a prophet who will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways. And as fantastic as this news
is, both to him as a parent and to needy sinners everywhere,
it sets forth even greater news. This news is that Zacharias As
he begins here, even before he mentions his own son, is the
coming of the Messiah, the coming of the Savior himself. If you
would, let’s go back to Zacharias’s words of praise, which begin
in verse 67. Luke begins this particular section
by pointing out that Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit. This is not the permanent indwelling
such as believers experience at Pentecost, which every believer
now experiences when they come to faith in Christ. This was
a temporary filling. a momentary filling, which enabled
him to accomplish some divinely ordained task, namely. To speak a prophecy. And the
exaltation of God’s provided Messiah. You’ll recall that Elizabeth
Zacharias, his wife, was likewise temporarily filled with the Holy
Spirit. We saw this last week. And he just begins by praising
God, blessed be the Lord God of Israel. Praise God, he begins,
as he proclaims what God had done, and he makes three statements
in rapid succession, verses 68 through 70. But while the words
vary, the message of each of these statements is basically
the same. Glance, if you would, at the
first one in verse 68. He has visited us. To our ears, this sounds so quaint. As if God just dropped by for
a cup of tea. To visit. To have just anybody drop in
for a visit is one thing. But when God does so, it is a
major event. This is no drop by, by a friend. We get some clarity from the
use of this word in Hebrews 2.6. What is man that you are concerned
about him? It’s not just a casual visit,
but is a caring attendance to someone’s needs. He is visiting
us with a purpose. It’s the exact same word used
in that passage. either of promise or rebuke when
Jesus says, I was sick and you visited me. Or the alternate,
I was sick and you did not visit me. And so it is to visit out
of concern for someone’s well-being and with a genuine desire to
help. God had not been heard from for
400 years. And so this is his return on
behalf of needy sinners. God is visiting his people once
again. This word meaning to look in
or to look over someone in distress. God has seen God has seen our
plight as sinners and now comes intimately to oversee his people. It’s an intentional visit to
render aid. We get more clarity on this visit
from the second of these three statements. Not only has he visited
us, but he has accomplished our redemption. Look, if you would,
at the end of verse 68, not only a visit, but an accomplished
redemption. Redemption, as God’s people know,
is the ransoming of someone out of some kind of imprisonment. It’s for a price. And ultimately,
we know that Jesus Christ is that ransom price. Matthew 20, 28 says of Christ,
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to
give his life as a ransom for many. Christ Jesus gave himself,
says the Apostle Paul, Titus 2, 14. Christ Jesus gave himself
to redeem us from every lawless deed. He bought us. We’re his. So it’s not a political or an
earthly bondage about which Zacharias prophesies here, but it’s a spiritual
incarceration. It’s an incarceration to sin
and to the devil. But the amazing part about that
statement is that Zacharias speaks of the redemption as already
accomplished, finished. Yet Jesus will not go to the
cross to redeem sinners for yet another 33 years. He’s not even born yet. Yet Zacharias says that God has
accomplished redemption for his people. People had waited so
long for the promised Messiah that Zacharias can legitimately
speak of this redemption now with the coming of the Messiah
as accomplished. And as we see, there’s a third
statement that provides even more clarity as to the nature
and the significance of these three sentences. He has visited
us, he has accomplished redemption, and he has raised up a horn of
salvation. That one might be a little bit
vague for us. We find this one in verse 69
and 70, raised up a horn of salvation for us. The divine visitation
would accomplish our redemption from sin, and that means salvation. And in this frequently used Old
Testament metaphor, the horn of an animal was considered to
be the power or the strength of the beast. The metaphor is
used generally throughout the Old Testament. 1 Samuel 2.10,
those who contend with the Lord will be shattered, against them
he will thunder in the heavens. The Lord will judge the ends
of the earth. He will give strength to his
king and will exalt the horn of his anointed. Psalm 22, 21, save me from the
lion’s mouth, from the horns of the wild oxen. It wasn’t speaking
of literal oxen there. Psalm 75, do not lift up your
horn on high, do not speak with insolent pride, warning human
beings of their arrogance. But it’s also used this metaphor
of the horn. It’s also used specifically to
refer to God’s anointed the Messiah. Psalm 132, I will cause the horn
of David to spring forth. I have prepared a lamp for mine
anointed. And so the horn of salvation
refers to God’s power on behalf of his people for their rescue. And in this case, rescue from
sin. Which means, as I said at the
outset, all three of these statements refer to the same act of God
on their behalf. That God had visited his people,
redeemed them, and saved them. Three different ways of referring
to the same beneficial act of God. Well, all three of these
thoughts, visited, redeemed, and saved, they all roll together
to describe what God had done in sending the Messiah. What
he had done. But in addition to what God was
doing, This morning, I’d like us to consider why God was so
moving. Why was God visiting and redeeming
and saving a people? This is what Zacharias speaks
to as he continues his prophecy in verses 72 through 75. Having
presented to all who hear him, Hear about what God has done
in verses 72 through 75 Zacharias his prophecy turns to the why
Why has God done what he has done? Why has God visited us? Why has God redeemed us? Why has God saved us? That’s what Zacharias turns to
in verse 72 but before we throw ourselves headlong into these
final verses, I want to ask you to observe something. If you’re reading from the ESV
this morning, you get a pass. Your day will come. But if you’re reading from the
NAS or the King James or any number of other related translations,
I want you to notice something. Verses 72 through 75, you’ll
find what I would call here, characterize as a significant
over-capitalization. Look at verse 72. The verse begins
with a capital letter, to show mercy. And this makes it appear
to us to be the start of a new sentence. It’s not. And you’ll notice the same thing
in the middle of the verse. And to remember, you can’t help
but notice the same thing in verse 73, the oath which he swore. And then again, twice more in
verse 74, to grant that we, and at the end, might serve him with
fear, all capitalized. And these capitalized strings
suggest to our mind linguistically that they are sentences. They’re not. They are clauses. They are a portion of a sentence. They are incomplete in a sense. The only words in all four of
those verses. that can be legitimately capitalized
are Abraham, verse 73, and Him, speaking of God in verse 75. So the question has to be asked
and answered, why do some translations capitalize these strings? The reason that the publishers
of these versions made all of these additional capitalizations
was to try to capture the obvious Hebrew poetic style that Zacharias
is employing. He’s essentially singing a song
of praise to God. The Hebrew poetic style is one
of the reasons that Zacharias’s prayer has been called the last
prophecy of the old dispensation and the first prophecy of the
new. There’s a distinctive style in
play here, and you’ll find a lot of this style occurring in the
Psalms. But here. To our Western, non-Hebrew
eyes, it’s just bewildering, all these capitalizations. We
don’t know where sentences begin and where they end. And so please
let me try to explain, if I may. The sentence begins in verse
69. And he has raised up a horn of
salvation. That sentence courses all the
way down, encompassing everything in verse 69, all the way down
through verse 75. It’s a long sentence. Following
Zacharias’ opening sentence in verse 69, verses 70 and 71 provide
basically an explanation for verse 69. In classic Hebrew style,
it offers a clarifying reiteration of what he says initially. And
then in verses 72 through 75, you have three infinitive clauses
which serve as purpose statements. Remember I said we want to look
at why? They all begin with this little word, to, T-O. Look at it if you would. Why
did God visit so as to redeem, so as to save? First of all,
verse 72, to show mercy. Why did God visit, redeem, save? Second, the end of verse 72,
to remember His holy covenant. Why did God visit us, redeem
us, save us? Thirdly, look at verse 74, to
grant that we might serve Him. These infinitive clauses are
the portions of the passage that provide for us the why of what
God has done. The reasons why God has visited
us. The reasons why God has redeemed
and saved us. I hope that helps. Let’s look
at the first purpose. The first reason why is articulated
in verse 72. To show mercy toward our fathers. The first reason that Zacharias
provides for this salvation brought by the Messiah is mercy. Why does God save anyone? It isn’t because he’s getting
a good deal with any one of us. It’s not like he sees in us some
great human potential that he must get this person. If he had
only convinced them to place their faith in Christ. The only reason that God saves
anyone is simply due to his mercy. Mercy is the attribute of God.
That when it’s exercised, not only restrains the just punishment
of sin, but moves to relieve a sinner’s miseries. And because
of that, the mercy of God has to be, must be any true believers,
one of their favorite attributes of God. Because without God’s
mercy, we are doomed. God moves first. He’s self-motivated. He’s not
stirred by anything other than his own compassion for us. Peter said it so clearly in his
opening chapter of his first epistle, according to our God
and father, his great mercy has caused us to be born again. God’s
mercy drew us in faith to himself. The Apostle Paul effectively
says that there is no salvation apart from God’s mercy. Romans
11 32 God has shut up all in disobedience So that he may show
mercy to all there isn’t anybody that inclines themselves to God’s
glorious favor Not one We see that Paul also provides the necessary
outworking of God’s mercy in Ephesians 2. You know this verse.
Though we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God, being rich in
mercy, made us alive together with Christ. It’s only because
of God’s mercy that any of us are here this morning. And Paul
echoes that sentiment in Titus 2.5. He saved us. Pardon me three five. He saved
us not on the basis of deeds But according to his mercy, you
can’t earn your way to heaven. You can’t work your way to heaven
You can’t do kindness on your way to heaven It is by God’s
mercy alone That we are saved and quite plainly God is absolutely
sovereign in the dispensation of his mercy. Romans 9 16. He
has mercy on whom he desires. No wonder he is called the father
of all mercies. Zacharias adds that this mercy
was extended toward our fathers. That this is to all who died
waiting in faith. It’s not just for us. Gentile
believers. but for all who died waiting
in faith for the promised Messiah. Hebrews chapter 11 speaks that
great hall of faith, speaks of all those people, men and women
of faith. At the very end of that chapter,
near the end, it says all these died in faith without receiving
the promises. but having seen them and having
welcomed them from a distance. But it’s no longer at a distance
for those who’ve gone before waiting in faith. Here in Christ
are the promises of the Messiah made good to all who were waiting
for him in faith. Zechariah says that abundant
mercy has now been realized by the giving of his son as savior. Let me put it quite simply to
you this morning. If you are saved, as you sit
here this morning, if you are confident that having placed
your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the first thing you would have
to acknowledge is that God showed mercy to you. Because if you
don’t think mercy was involved, you’re not saved. If you think
God got a good deal with you, you’re not saved. If you were
one, like Jesus said, who did not need a physician, you’re
not saved. It’s only by God’s mercy that
any are ever saved. We’re not owed this salvation.
You did not, do not, will never deserve this salvation. It’s only because of God’s abundant
mercy that you are redeemed and saved. But there’s another reason
that Zacharias provides by way of a prophecy, a second reason
why God has visited us, redeemed us, and saved us. Look, if you
would, at the end of verse 72. It glides seamlessly into verse
73. Why did God save us? To remember
his holy covenant. the oath which he swore to Abraham,
our father. By direct influence and the inspiration
of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Zacharias provides a second reason
why God has brought salvation by way of this Messiah. He did
so in order to remember his holy covenant. Now, Depending on your
theological leanings, you may or not be afraid of that word
covenant. It’s a biblical word. We tend
to think of covenants as agreements, contracts, such as we make with
other people, even our spouses. But when God is involved, a covenant
is a God-initiated, God-appointed arrangement. God makes a promise
that he intends to keep. And Zacharias here makes clear
what particular covenant he refers to. It’s the covenant, the divine
promise, which he swore to Abraham. I’d like you to see this in context.
So if you keep a finger in Luke, would you turn to Genesis chapter
22 briefly? Genesis chapter 22. You know
this, but it’s always just so good to read and review and to
see God’s faithfulness. In verse one of chapter 22, it
tells us that God tested Abraham’s faith. Tested him by telling
him, look at verse two, take now your son, your only son,
whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and there
offer him as a bird offering on one of the mountains, which
I will tell you. And that’s exactly what Abraham
does. The ensuing verses, verses three through 10, tell us that
Abraham explicitly obeyed God’s every command for this solemn
duty. Even if he didn’t fully understand
it. Right down to raising the knife in obedience to slay his
son, his only son. You know the story. God saw his
faith and stopped Abraham before he could carry out this impossible
task. God had seen Abraham’s faith. God found Abraham to be obedient
in his willingness to offer his only son back to God. And so
God allowed him to keep his son. Look, if you would, at verse
16. By myself I have sworn, declares
the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld
your son, your only son. Indeed, I will greatly bless
you and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the
heavens and as the sand, which is on the seashore and your seed
shall possess the gate of their enemies and in your seed, all
the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed. my voice. This is the covenant. This is the promise that not
only were Abraham’s people going to multiply as the stars of the
heavens, the sand on the seashore, but through Abraham’s offspring,
by his family tree, in his seed, all the nations of the earth
were going to be blessed. This blessing was not limited
to one people, one nation, but was to extend to every tribe
and tongue and people and nation. Hebrews 6 says in the same regard
that it is impossible for God to lie. When God makes a promise,
He keeps the promise. God keeps His covenants. And
Zacharias, again inspired by the Holy Spirit, declares that
the Messiah is the fulfillment of that covenant. all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed. Because Christ will not be the
Messiah of the Jews only, but for the sin of the world and
the sinners of the world. If you’re saved, you sit here
this morning and you’re confident that you have placed your faith
in Jesus Christ for salvation, then the second thing you must
acknowledge is that God is a promise keeping God. God is faithful. God keeps His Word. God is a
covenant keeping God. Your salvation is part of a promise
kept, a promise made originally to Abraham. You are among those
all nations. Promise to Abraham in recognition
of his faith. It’s just astounding, right?
But Zacharias provides a third reason why God was providing
this promised Messiah. And we see that in verse 74 and
75. The simple sentence of these dynamic
few verses reads like this. Bear with me. To grant that we
might serve Him without fear. That’s the simplest sentence.
In fact, you could even remove without fear to grant that we
might serve Him. We should pause and reflect and
grasp just that for a moment. One of the reasons that God saves
us, one of the three reasons that Zacharias proclaims is to
enable us to serve Him. It’s a privilege. Do you understand
that? Christianity is not a spectator
sport. That’s simple. But I want to
make it really clear what manner of service Zacharias is speaking
of here. It isn’t service as we think
of it in the sense of work or labor. He isn’t saying, you know
what, find something to do in church, get a job, get some way
of serving in church, Any job will do. It’s not what
he’s saying here. I mean, hard for me as a pastor
to say that. We need help. But that’s not
what this is talking about. The word in Greek is Latruo. It’s the kind of service. It’s a particular kind of service. It’s used to speak of service
rendered to God by priests. It’s the priestly service of
worship. Zacharias knew this kind of service well as a priest,
didn’t he? But here Zacharias says that
the worship of God is the natural response of a believer. That’s right. One of the reasons
that God saves his people is to generate worship in humble
gratitude for our salvation. There’s so much detail here about
our worship. Look at it. First being rescued
from the hands of our enemies. That should generate some worship,
shouldn’t it? Namely, sin and Satan that our
service of worship considers our former state. Those things
out of which we were saved. Secondly, our service of worship
is done in holiness and righteousness. Holiness speaks of our moral
standing before God. Righteousness speaks of our ethical
standing with our fellow believers. And third, our worship service
of God is before Him all our days. It’s a lifelong, even an
eternal endeavor. And so if you’re saved this morning,
if you sit here confident in your heart that you’ve placed
your faith for salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished
work on the cross, then you must allow your heart and mind to
be stirred to humble gratitude. God didn’t owe you this salvation. We already saw that it was an
act of His mercy. We already saw that it was a
promise that wasn’t even made to you. It was made to Abraham. This should generate a heart
of worship. This generate worship that takes
place not just on Sunday morning, but throughout the week and all
that we do. It’s all of us. It’s every part
of our being responding to God in gratitude for what He’s done.
He’s a merciful God. He’s a covenant-keeping God.
And He is a God who is worthy of our worship.